A Little Cake, a Little Conversation
by hester4418
Summary: A short addition to the episode "A Little Sex, a Little Scandal": Lee and Amanda share the cake that she brought over to his place.


DISCLAIMER: _Scarecrow & Mrs. King_ and all its characters belong to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Enterprises. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while but promise to return them unharmed when I'm done.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first attempt at writing for SMK. I'm currently revisiting the show for the first time in about 15 years (a big YAY to DVDs!) and I expect to find more to write about as I'm working my way through the episodes. Can't wait for March 2013 when hopefully Season 4 will be out...

PUBLICATION HISTORY: written September 2012; first published September 2012

TIME FRAME: This story picks up right at the end of the 2nd season episode "A Little Sex, a Little Scandal".

**A Little Cake, a Little Conversation  
by Hester (hester4418)**

Amanda had easily accepted his offer of cake but refused the champagne, so Lee made coffee while she settled on his couch. When he brought the mugs, he found her dubiously eyeing the partially defrosted cake he had prepared for Randy.

"What's this supposed to be?" she asked, and he got the impression that she was working hard to suppress a smile.

"Cake," he replied as if that should have been obvious.

"Oh, no," Amanda shook her head vehemently. "That's not cake. _This_ is cake." She lifted the glass cover that protected her cake and dished out two pieces onto the plates that were already waiting on the table. Then she pushed one in Lee's direction and picked up her fork. The smell of rich chocolate reached his nostrils and made his mouth water.

"So, was this your second date with Randy?" she asked around a bite, trying to affect an air of innocence to mask her curiosity.

"Third, actually." He conveniently neglected to mention that the 'first date' had consisted of Randy literally running into him at a bar and seizing him up with an appreciative glance. Five minutes later she had slipped her phone number into his hand when she brushed past him on her way to the exit where her companion for the night had already been waiting. "But I don't expect she'll be back." Lee shrugged, rather indifferent to the fact that he didn't feel more disappointed at the prospect.

Amanda smirked. "What kind of a name is 'Randy' anyway?"

"Well, you know, it rhymes with 'Mandy'," Lee deadpanned. "Right, Mandy?"

She shot him one of her sternest 'mother' looks and pointed her fork at him to punctuate her statement. "Only because _your_ name is woefully short, Mr. Stetson, doesn't mean you get to make fun of others by calling them nicknames. In fact, _Scarecrow_, –"

"Whoa Amanda, stop it, I was only kidding!" Lee held up his hand to stop the flow of words. "Besides, 'Mandy' doesn't really suit you."

She looked like she was about to start another argument, so he hastily picked up his plate and fork and started dissecting his cake. Amanda watched him expectantly as he took his first bite.

"Amanda – this is great! I think it's the best cake I've had in years. Even better than your christmas cookies."

"Well, I did win first price in the baking contest," she admitted modestly, enjoying the look of surprise on Lee's face. "But it wasn't enough to make up for Khartoum and the ant situation I guess..."

Lee feared that he might never live that down. "I really am sorry," he repeated quietly, but she waved him off just as lighthearted as before.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm actually glad I didn't win."

"Why?"

"Well, the winner will have to sit on all kinds of competition juries for the next year. You know, 'Best Homemade Apple Pie', '20 Favorite Ways to Dress a Christmas Tree', things like that."

She shrugged as if this was the most natural thing in the world. Lee could only think how little he apparently still knew about the average American housewife and her everyday pursuits.

Amanda leaned over slightly and dropped her voice conspiratorially. "I just think that what we to do together is so much more exciting!"

Lee suddenly had a lump in his throat. It took some effort to swallow the piece of cake he had been chewing, and he hastily gulped down some coffee. Amanda had leaned back again and finished rounding up the last of the cake crumbs on her plate.

"Well, I really ought to be going," she said a moment later. She neatly stacked the plates on the couch table and dumped some wayward crumbs on them. Then she replaced the glass cover over the cake, straightened the candles and, not finding anything else to occupy her hands, finally rose and picked up her purse.

"Amanda –"

"Hm?" She turned, big brown eyes looking at him, oblivious to his flustered state.

"I –" He was tempted to ask her to stay but stopped himself. Even if all he had in mind was more conversation, it would not be fair to Amanda to give her the impression that he saw her as a substitute for Randy. She deserved better than that. "Never mind. Thanks again for the cake."

"Thanks again for believing me," she smiled.

He walked her to the door and watched her leave, giving her a wave when she looked back a final time before disappearing in the elevator. Then he closed the door and moved back to the couch. By now the cake he'd bought had defrosted completely and sat on its plate in a soggy heap. With a look of disgust Lee quickly disposed of it, then settled down and reached for the cake cover. "To Mandy," he grinned, as he helped himself to another large piece of Amanda's exquisite chocolate concoction.

The End.


End file.
